Actress Meagan Good is doing a whole lot better than her last name suggests.

The star of such movies as “Eve’s Bayou” (1997), “Jumping the Broom” (2011) and “Think Like a Man” (2012) is taking on her first starring role in a network drama with “Deception,” which launches on NBC tonight at 10 p.m. ET.

In “Deception,” Good plays a police detective who goes undercover into a world of riches and privilege to investigate the death of her childhood best friend, who was the member of a wealthy, feuding family.

Good called up the Wall Street Journal to talk about starring in “Deception,” her connection to “Scandal” star Kerry Washington, her hope to someday do a Whitney Houston biopic–and the possibility of a “Think Like a Man” sequel.

How did you first get involved with “Deception”?

I read the script, I thought it was fantastic, I went in and I auditioned, they liked me, and they thought I was right for it. And by the second call I was pretty much testing and it was a done deal.

Was the character always the same? Was it tailored for you?

There was nothing different about the character. It was very specific in [series creator Liz Heldens's] mind in terms of it being a very witty, tough, vulnerable, flawed girl with a moral compass but not self-righteous. She just wanted to make her interesting and there were no adjustments when I came on board and I kinda thought that was great.

This is your first starring role in a network drama series. What’s the difference between merely appearing on a show and being one of the people who is expected to carry a show?

I try not to think about it too much. The difference is it’s a lot more work. I’m in everything, I work every day. I’m running and jumping and emotionally up and down. That’s really the main difference. I just try to do the best that I can with it and enjoy the process and have fun.

You’re shooting around New York City. Have you seen anything that made you think differently about the city?

Nothing that made me think differently. It’s just as random and crazy as L.A., but it’s definitely a lot bigger. There are all these nooks and crannies and different communities and walks of life and I love that. I definitely have gotten to know the city a lot better and have walked around. Before someone would say to me “Let’s go to Harlem.” And I’d be “Where’s that? Down the street?” Uh—no. Now I have a better grasp…There was this one guy walking through one of our scenes with a costumed dog head and it wasn’t Halloween.

You were born in Los Angeles, where were you raised?

I was born in Los Angeles, I was raised basically in Los Angeles but kind of thirty minutes north of Hollywood.

Is there culture shock now that you’re living in Brooklyn?

Well, there’s no point in trying to drive. You have to be very experienced to drive here or else it’s a little nerve-racking. You basically take taxis everywhere. I tried the subway, but that wasn’t a good idea because there were a lot of teenagers and young people. And then there’s a lot of restaurants. Brooklyn is a city of really cool different restaurants from Jamaican to Japanese. I definitely end up eating a lot.

The show is getting a lot of comparisons to “Revenge”—what do you make of those comparisons?

I think they’re awesome! Because, y’know, obviously it’s a good comparison to have. I do think the shows are very different. I think with our show you get a little of everything—action-packed drama, the family drama, the love triangle, the murder mystery. It’s a pretty crazy show. I never know what’s going to happen next.

I see that on Twitter Kerry Washington reached out to you and you Tweeted back.

It’s pretty amazing. I think she is so beautiful and so talented as an actress.I love everything that she does. For me it was like wow—I was really thankful that she reached out, and was offering her support and just showing love. She had told me before that she had seen me in “Brick” and had sent me a message I didn’t get. When I saw her in person she told me she supported me and wanted me to do well. I’m in awe because I think she’s fantastic.

You’ve been in show business since the age of four?

I started out doing extra work on “Doogie Howser, M.D.” The first kind of big job where I had a speaking role was on “Friday” when I was thirteen. Up until then I did it kind of like a hobby. Other kids played soccer or went to dance class. I wasn’t very good at those things so my mom let me do drama, and I kind just did it for fun. When I got my first speaking role, I was bitten by the bug. After that my first big role was “Eve’s Bayou” where I played Samuel Jackson’s daughter.

What do your parents do?
My father was L.A.P.D. for 26 years. He retired two years ago. And my mother was banker until I was ten or eleven and then she started managing me for a couple years. Now I just want her to be comfortable and happy, but she loves to manage so she’s managing a girl’s singing group that my youngest sister is in.

Did your dad give you any advice about playing a detective on the show since he has a background in law enforcement?

Oh yes, he definitely gave me a lot of advice and a lot of insight. One of the things I really picked up is the mentality of someone in law enforcement. The very fiber of their being is justice, they have to give up so much and be willing to lose everything in order to pursue it.

Is there one thing he told you that stood out?

That you have to be willing to die for the cause. It gets that serious.

I’ve read you wanted to play Aaliyah in a move. Is that something you still want to pursue?

It is definitely something I wanted to do for a very long time. Now I’m kind of at an age where I don’t know if I could pull it off. I would like to see that movie get done where the person starts off with her being 15 or 16 where she first came out with “Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number” and all of that. I feel I might be too old to do it now. But I’ve been really interested in doing Whitney [Houston's] story because I knew her and our birthdays are one day apart, and we have very much the same personalities. We’re both Leos, I got the opportunity to spend time with her on the set of “Sparkle.” She was just an amazing human being.

What did you see that the public did not see?

When someone grows up in the industry…no matter what your belief system is, it can be challenged. And it can cost you the ultimate price. If you didn’t know her, you didn’t know what an amazing person she was and what a great heart she had and how much she loved God. How she just wanted to be a positive influence.

Were you actively developing a Whitney biopic? Is it something you plan to do now?

It’s something I would love to do. I had spoken with her about doing her life story and she was open to hearing my pitch. My pitch was basically the way the movie ends is with a new beginning for her, because she had just started in “Sparkle.” Unfortunately we were supposed to meet that Tuesday, after she passed.

Will you do a sequel to “Think Like a Man”?

There’s been lots of talk about that. It’s something that really might happen.

How would it work?

I can’t give away the story. But I’ll put it this way—one of the characters could be potentially looking to get married. It could be potentially a catastrophe all the things that could happen in between.

About Speakeasy

Speakeasy is a blog covering media, entertainment, celebrity and the arts. The publication is produced by Barbara Chai and Jonathan Welsh with contributions from the Wall Street Journal staff and others. Write to us at speakeasy@wsj.com or follow us on Twitter at @WSJSpeakeasy or individually @barbarachai.